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Chemical hemisphere

A “chemical equator” divides the polluted northern hemisphere and the clear skies of the south. Carbon monoxide levels, for instance, differ by 120 parts per billion on either side. Samples taken by Jacqueline Hamilton of the University of York, UK, and her team show the line sits well to the north of the real equator (Journal of Geophysical Research, DOI&colon; 10.1029/2008JD009940).

Tortoise resurrection

The giant tortoises of the Galapagos island Floreana, last seen around 1835 when Darwin visited the archipelago, may be brought back to life. Tortoises on neighbouring Isla are so genetically similar to museum specimens …